Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-08-30
ROCK ISLAND, TUESDAY, AUGUST 80, 1887.
CANADA'S RESOURCES.
SOME WONDERFUL STATEMENTS Re-
GARDlNG THEIR GREAT VALUE.

AA'dotus hiihstbf oDtu"tH anu oth
Butterworth Speak for Customs Union
Between Canada and the United States
The Scheme Urged as Big Thing for
the Great Republic.
DETROIT, Mich, Aug. 80 -Erastus Wiman,
of New York; Hon Benjamin Butterworth, of
Cincinnati and Professor Goodwin Smith, of
Toronto delivered addresses here before a
large audience on Invitation of the
commercial bodies of Detroit, the
subject of discussion being commercial
union between the United States and
Canada. Mr.. Wiman's address, which was
the principal feature of the evening, occupied
nearly an hour and was an elaborate presen-
tation of the advantages and possibilities of
this movement He claimed that COM
mercial union would bring as much profit
and as much advantage to the United States
as political union, and illustrated his claim
by the contributions to the wealth of the
country of California and Alaska. 1t was
claimed that Canada was commercially indie
pendent, and that without appealing to Eng
land the parliament at Ottawa could adjust
tariff precisely similar to that of the United
States and that around the whole continent
this uniform tariff existing, there would be
no let or hindrance to the ebb and flow of
commerce within the continent itself The
result would be that an extension of the
commerce of the United States would
thereby be secured of almost unknown posi-
blities The speaker said that without the
drawing of sword the shedding of drop
of blood, or the expenditure of dollar, the
area of the commerce of the country could be
more than doubled, because the area of Can
ada was larger than that of the United
States, and her riches in minerals, fisheries
timber, phosphates and other things rendered
Canada treasure-house of resources which
could be made greatly coutributory to the
progress of the United States.
As to the iron ores Of Canada, Mr.. Wiman
claimed that they were much more free from
phosphorus than those of the United States,
and remarked that what the devil was to re-
llGion phosphorus was to iron; that the i'm
portations of iron ore from Spain and other
countries were a necessity in order to treat
the United States ores successfully, but that
Canada contained unlimited supplies of just
the kind of ore the United States needed to
benefit her own products; that in copper there
were abundant supplies, in quality ranging
from q to 20 per cent, while the great Calu-
met and HecIa ores rarely exceeded per
cent; that there were also evidences of ample
supplies of nickel ami other valuable minerals
within close contiguity to the United States
border.
1t was claimed that the fishery question
and all other outstanding disputes could be
adjusted and the possibility of future differ
ence entirely removed by a union between
the countries based on purely trade consid-
eratious. The obje-s'on in England to such
movement would not be- controlling, because
Canada has for many years regulated her
own tariff to suit her own purposes; that,
while she was still part and parcel of the Brit
iSh empire she commercially belonged to her
self; that all her interests pointed in the di-
rection of close alliance and assimilation
with the people of the United States, and
that her people were evidently determined
upon the accomplishment of this purpose if
the congress of the United States afforded
them any encouragement by the passage of
the Butter worth bill, or any similar measure,
looking to an obliteration of the commercial
barriers now existing between the two coun-
tries.
Professor Goodwin Smith was the second
speaker, and spoke in substance as follows:
What does Canada mean by commercial
union. She means, as believe and hope
the total abolition of the customs line be
tween her and the United States; perfect free
trade in all the products of both counties
whether natural or manufactured; a common
tariff as against all other countries, the rev
enue to be pooled and equitably divided, fish
cries and eoasting trade in common; open
waterways and mutual participation in all
commercial facilities and advantages; free
circulation of capital, commercial enterprise,
and commercial life from the border of Mex
leo to the shore of Hudsons bay"
The last speech was made by Hon Ben ia
min ButterwOrths 9 of Ohio. Mr. Butter
worth said Commercial union will pro-
mote every worthy interest and enterprise in
the United States except those which thrive
by a system of extortion un er the protection
of partial law The measure is in the in
| terest of every man in the Unite States who
eats his bread in the sweat of his face It is
in perfect harmony with the protective sys-
tenn 1t was supported by Lincoln, by Adams,
by Winthrop. and Grant 1t is within the
wider range advocated by James G. Blaine,
who recognized the advantage of a union
with the states of South America, which en-
braced what is proposed with reference to
Canada.
"I am a Republican and protectionist but
insist on drawing the line between protection
and the mere fostering and building up the
| monopoies The former is healthful the lat
ter ruinous to any country. The Importance
of extending our trade north as well as east
| south, and west is paipable to our people 1t
| is as aefenseless to intercept and roll back the
| tide of our commerce from the great market
| just north of the forty-ninfh parallel of lat-
tuie as to turn it backward from the one
hundredth meridian of longitude west"